MH17 trial best option for justice: Julie Bishop

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will join government and global officials at a solemn ceremony to dedicate the memorial in the park of Vijfhuizen, close to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where the flight took off from on July 17, 2014.

In a statement, Mogherini said: "To ensure that those responsible for the downing of MH17 are held accountable and brought to justice, the criminal investigation needs the continuing support of the worldwide community".

Most of those on board were Dutch, but 17 other nationalities were represented in the death toll, including 38 Australians. The attendees included family members of the victims, Dutch King Wilhem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and other worldwide guests and politicians.

Three years have passed since Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down, and the case is coming closer to court.

"A tree symbolises "hope" and "future" in many cultures", the victims' families association said in a statement.

Dutch investigators concluded in 2015 that the jet was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile over conflict-torn eastern Ukrainian territory held by Russia-backed separatists.

"It was a barefaced crime that could have been avoided if not for the Russian aggression, Russian system and Russian missile that came from Russian territory", Poroshenko said. "We not only want to honor the MH17 victims, but also want to create a place where everyone can keep their memories of the 298 passengers alive".

The commemoration ceremony included the unveiling of a "living memorial" designed by artist Ronald A. Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning.

Russian Federation and the anti-government groups it supports, however, have denied any involvement and have blamed Ukraine.

The European Union foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, has called for worldwide cooperation in the hunt for those responsible for shooting down a Malaysian airlines plane over eastern Ukraine three years ago. The memorial's design includes 298 newly planted trees - each one bearing the name of a victim - that form the shape of a green ribbon.

At the center of the trees is an eye-shaped steel sculpture that looks up toward the sky.